When we bring a pet into our lives, we gain a very much-loved member into our family.

Like our children, our fur kids are vulnerable to the toxic effects of household chemicals and rely on us to keep them safe and healthy.

The alarming truth is when the Environmental Working Group tested pets in 2008, dogs and cats tested positive for 48 out of 70 industrial chemicals.

Due to their smaller bodies, tendency to breathe more rapidly and being closer to the ground, they absorbed toxins more easily, which in turn causes a myriad of health problems. For instance, exposure to ingredients often found in cleaning products like bleach, ammonia, chlorine, formaldehyde poses risk of cancer, liver and kidney damage on young children and pets.

If you’re interested in learning more about the toxic impact household chemicals have on pets, we highly recommend reading this article by the EWG (Environmental Working Group).

To make matters worse, with their shorter lifespans, growing seven or more times faster than children, our furry friends tend to develop health problems from exposures much more rapidly.

To help us understand the best way to keep our pets in optimal health, we have invited Phivo from Augustine Approved to provide some handy tips.

Here is what he has to say.

We are living in exciting times. After decades of falling for cute media campaigns that push what I find hard to call food, and trusting blindly in the veterinary profession, we have become more alert. We’ve started to question pet food labels, we research ingredients and processes and we even question the good doctor and the need for chemical drugs.

EXTREME TOXICITY

One of the leading causes of disease is extreme toxicity.

Imagine that you are in a large vessel floating in the ocean. Imagine that every time you eat unhealthy food, every time you take medications, every time you are exposed to chemical cleaning products, you are taking on water. Sure, a bit of water here and there won’t sink your boat, but given enough time and enough water the buoyancy of your boat will eventually be overpowered.

This is how many of us live our lives. We are not proactive. All we do is take on toxicity without any though and then one day, BAM! “Sir/madam, you have cancer (or liver disease etc.).

All of a sudden we wish we did things differently and rush to medical treatments that ironically only fill our body with more toxins. So here you are, barely floating along in your boat and you search frantically to find something that will help you pour out the water. All you find is a little cup.

How long do you think can stay afloat for? This is the price we pay for living with an instant society mindset. Never before in history have we loaded our bodies with more toxins than today. So what are you doing to avoid yourself of future heartache?

Now think about how much harder this toxic overload affects our animals.

SIMPLE MATH

Everything we expose ourselves and our animals adds up over time:

We say that our 3 year old dog looks healthy so the food must be good.

We say that our dog hasn’t had worms or fleas since we started the tablets.

We say that we clean the house regularly so there is less chance of germs spreading.

Multi-million dollar advertising campaigns make us feel like we are doing the right thing by feeding and cleaning our pets with poisons, but it’s encouraging to me that less of the public are buying it. What if all these products take years to manifest into disease and that’s how they remain approved as “safe”?

What if the food our 3-year-old dog loves the taste of is laced with disease causing chemicals and that’s why at the age of 6 he is diagnosed with liver failure.

What if those worming tablets are not just toxic, but also weaken the immune system, which gives candida the opportunity to overgrow, and that’s why pup has yeasty skin. And what if those antibiotics and steroids just make it worse long term.

What if every time our animals walk on the kitchen floor they are absorbing toxic chemicals into their paws, through their blood stream and in festers in their gut.

SOLUTIONS

It’s often said that good products are born out of need and it’s encouraging to see so many new companies sprouting up and capitalising on the shortcomings of big business.

Cleaning Products

At the start of 2013 Augustine’s skin was flaring up and she would scratch and make herself bleed. Analysis showed that she had some of the same chemicals in her body that were in our cleaning products so we decided to throw them ALL out.

Were the cleaning products the one and only cause of flair ups? No, but I had to attack this from all angles.

I decided that I wouldn’t expose Augustine’s skin to anything I wouldn’t be happy to eat. Ditch the chemical products that are simply not needed and switch to healthy brands like Resparkle. You’ll find that most (if not all) the time they do a better job without the nasties.

Worming and Flea Treatments

Simply put, over 80% of pharmaceutical drugs stem from natural sources yet ironically 90% of doctors reject natural therapies. It’s not secret that doctors and vets are not taught nutrition and rely solely on the information given to them by pet food and pharmaceutical companies.

Feel free to pick up any worming or flea treatment product and have a look on the front of the box. If they are so safe, then why do they all carry the “POISON” or “KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN” warnings?”

Do they actually work? Sometimes, but what’s the point of getting rid of worms if the product can cause bigger health problems.

So what can you do then?

There are many natural products out there that do not have the side effects. After our rescue boxer Faith suffered a severe reaction a commercial worming tablet, I decided to bring a very special formula to market, which I named after her. When you research the 22 ingredients in Faith you may be in awe of its cleansing properties.

(2) Take a selfie with your fur kid and get TEN bonus chances to win this week’s prize! Tag 3 friends to do it too! Additional Hashtag for this 10 x bonus entry is #selfiewithpet

There will be no limit to the amount of entries so don’t forget to spread the love

ENTRIES CLOSE ON THE 17TH OF OCTOBER 2014. Only open to Australian residents.

* All entries will have an automatic entry to stand a chance to win the Grand Prize!

GUEST BLOGGER PROFILE

In time, when you come to fully understand the philosophy and reasoning behind the Augustine Approved brand you will realise that I am not messing around. Augustine Approved is the real deal and every ingredient and process has a specific purpose. What you and your dog are about to experience is the outcome of countless hours of research that I began in 2010, all with one ambitious goal at heart; to give my puppy Augustine the Boxer every opportunity to live a long and healthy life.

As I worked towards my dream people started to ask me what ready-made food was on the market that I would recommend for their dogs. The simple answer was and still is, none. Whilst some products show more promise than others I am yet to find a single brand that I would be content to feed Augustine. My recommendation is to prepare fresh nutritious meals at home, but I do appreciate that this is not always possible – hence the need for fresh, ready-made wholefood products.

This life-changing journey has taught me to have a greater love and respect for all animals. I now strive to show people how by reducing the consumption of animal products they can dramatically improve their own health as well as the health of their dogs.

First we launched our range of Augustine’s SuperBoost, Super Ingredients and Super Skin Care. After a long wait, we are pleased to finally release Augustine’s SuperFood for retail sale. Please check our website for a list of stockists.

Being a bit of a purist and also an advocate of the organic movement my mission is to create quality products only when there is a need for them to exist – nothing more, nothing less. Augustine Approved products sit well above super premium dog food brands not only because they far exceed the nutritional needs of canines, and not because they have been produced with a strong focus on the prevention of illness, but because you can eat them too.

Although a permit is not needed to make food for dogs, Augustine and I have insisted that we are governed by human food standards. We are sincere in creating products that are focused on the health and happiness of dogs rather than profit and we support a number of causes and charities.

Augustine and I are excited to share our journey with you and look forward to receiving your feedback.